Hello everyone, it’s Corn again. If you are reading this, then I want to say THANK YOU for giving, praying, reading, and being a part of our Faith-Fueled Community. Our friend Stacey will return to her beloved place as our weekly blogger next week after being on a trip with the church. So, I want to take this opportunity to brag about Jesus and what He’s been doing through Resurgence.
This past week, I spent time reflecting upon the passing of the leadership baton of RLF’s mentoring services to Bianca and Dominique which marks a huge milestone. In September, we will celebrate 14 years of service. What makes that so rewarding is that the National Center on Charitable Statistics says the failure rate of nonprofits is over 30% within the first 10 years. We are still here, which may be surprising to some people. When I started, I realized that I was a good person with a noble vision to invest in leaders but if you had spent time with me you would have realized that I don’t have a business degree or MBA, and not the best strategist, not a self-promoter, cautious fundraiser, and to top it off I was focusing on communities outside of the city of Atlanta plus I was not connected to a recognizable brand That combination is a recipe for failure, but Jesus!!!
I recall a story in the Gospel of John, where the needs were greater than resources, and the path forward was not clear to the nonprofit leadership.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” (John 6:5-12, NIV)
Jesus took what was available, prayed, and mobilized the leadership team to serve the community present at the time. He did a lot with a little.
This story captures what I have seen happen through the organization again, and again, and again, and again. Jesus took what we had to offer and met the needs of the communities we served.
- Young Commanders started with ONE chapter made up of 16 boys, 3 adult mentors, and 1 high school mentor. Now we have TWO chapters made up of 39 boys, 14 adult mentors, and 3 high school mentors. Plus, we are opening another chapter in Opelika, Alabama. Jesus is doing a lot with a little.
- Before I met Bianca Singleton, I was only helping ONE other organization. Since then, we have created the Youth Mentoring Collaborative that serves FIVE organizations by certifying mentors, continual education of mentors, and building the capacity of the programs. Jesus is doing a lot with a little.
- Precious Me was the first organization that I offered coaching and consultation. Now through the Social Enterprise Academy, we are working with SIX organizations to build initiatives to develop leaders, serving entrepreneurs through the Faith Driven Entrepreneurs Foundation series, and financially supporting FIVE ministry leaders monthly. Jesus is doing a lot with a little.
Over the 14 years, I have watched Jesus add godly intercessors with varied expertise to the organization to form a Faith-Fueled Community. The RLF team and Board, like the disciple in John 6, have offered their time, talents, treasures, and prayers to help foster other Faith-Fueled Communities.
At the end of my reflection, I said to the Lord, “If someone said he or she wanted to give RLF $1 million, $5 million, $10 million, or more I would send an email to 8 advisors to devise a strategy that would enable us to do more of what we are already doing, but globally. Simply, Jesus do a lot with a lot more.” Amen.
Once again, I want to thank you for being a part of our Faith-Fueled Community and knowing that together we are impacting the lives of leaders, kids, parents, and communities across the country. Galatians 6:9 reminds us, let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Love ya. #MakeGoodLouder
